Pre-Scouting Combine Mock Draft: First-Round Projections

You can pretty much write this one in indelible ink, and I'm utterly fascinated to see what new Raiders head coach and offensive shot-caller Klint Kubiak does with Mendoza's processing ability and knack for throwing the ball to all parts of the field . Ideally, it will be a bit like what Kyle Shanahan did with Matt Ryan in Ryan's 2016 MVP season — take all the gifts to the next level. Mendoza has that much on the ball already.

2. New York Jets: Caleb Downs, DB, Ohio State

Aaron Glenn's Jets defense needs a lot. Turnovers would be nice, but let's start with one of those tone-setting defenders who can excel at multiple positions. Downs, who played everywhere in Matt Patricia's NFL-conversant defense in 2025, and nailed every assignment he was given, is exactly the kind of player Glenn needs after a horrible year on that side of the ball. And given the value of the multi-position safety in today's NFL, don't be at all surprised if and when Downs goes this high up in the draft order.

3. Arizona Cardinals: Arvell Reese, EDGE, Ohio State

The bad news for the Cardinals is that they need a lot of help at both linebacker and at edge defender. The good news for the Cardinals in this case is that they can avail themselves of the services of Mr. Reese, who shows elite traits at both positions. No, we don't make Micah Parsons comps for anybody, but in a positional and schematic vacuum, Reese has a lot of the skill set already.

4. Tennessee Titans: David Bailey, EDGE, Texas Tech

In their search for the best possible players at most positions on the roster as their rebuild continues, the Titans could do far, far worse than Bailey with the fourth overall pick. Last season, Tennessee's leading pressure people from the edge were a hodge-podge of veterans schemed up pretty well (Jihad Ward, Arden Key), and second-year man Jaylen Harrell, who showed increasing juice as the season went along. Adding a freak in Bailey, who is unquestionably the best quick pass-rusher in this class, would go a long way to making Robert Saleh's defense as dangerous as it needs to be.

5. New York Giants: Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State

The Giants have a franchise quarterback in Jaxson Dart... if Jaxson Dart can manage his daredevil style to stay healthy. They also have one dominant receiver in Malik Nabers, who missed most of the 2025 season with a torn ACL. Dart did his level best with what he had let following Nabers' injury, but let's give the kid half a chance here. Carnell Tate is an explosive play waiting to happen, and his addition to Big Blue's roster, along with Nabers' return, would have defenses at sixes and sevens wondering who to double-team. And when was the last time you said that about the Giants' offense?

6. Cleveland Browns: Makai Lemon, WR, USC

I don't know whether it's more accurate to say that the Browns are at the beginning of a calculated rebuild... or if they're just wandering around in the darkness. Regardless, and regardless of who's their quarterback in 2026 and beyond, there is a definite need for a game-breaking receiver in the group. Cleveland has spent too much capital on second-tier receivers and gadget guys in recent years; Makai Lemon would quickly redefine Todd Monken's passing game with an upper-tier talent who can push coverage from anywhere in the formation at any time.

7. Washington Commanders: Mansoor Delane, CB, LSU

Unusually for a team coached by Dan Quinn, the Commanders' cornerback situation was a complete mess in the 2025 season. Washington allowed 33 passing touchdowns to just eight interceptions, and their opponent passer rating allowed of 104.2 was the NFL's fifth-worst. Part of the problem is that their best cornerback is Mike Sainristil, a player who's at his best in the slot and as a roamer. To avoid everybody being tested beyond their depths again, it would behoove these Commanders to get themselves a cornerback who can come in and lock down one side of the field. Delane, the best cover cornerback in this class, and one of the better collegiate man coverage corners we've seen in a while (he allowed an opponent passer rating of 0.0 in man coverage last season), would help immeasurably.

8. New Orleans Saints: Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State

The Saints had a pleasant surprise in rookie quarterback Tyler Shough; now, it's time to get Mr. Shough a more complete receiver corps. Trading Rashid Shaheed to the Seahawks worked out a lot better for the Seahawks than it did for the Saints, and outside of the steadfast Chris Olave, there isn't a lot of there there. So, adding Jordyn Tyson as a big ball-winner for Shough would help a great deal. Tyson learned the nuances of the receiver position from receivers coach Hines Ward, and you can see a lot of Ward's game in Tyson's ability and willingness to make the tough catch — something that could be transformed into a superpower in the right offense.

9. Kansas City Chiefs: Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame

With Eric Bieniemy back in the fold as the Chiefs' offensive coordinator, it's past time to give Patrick Mahomes the kind of supplemental help even he needs to have an offense that's more than a few gadget plays strung together. The running back situation last season was... unexceptional, and Notre Dame's Jeremiyah Love could add a ton to that with a skill set that sets him up as a perfect power/speed/elusiveness back who could be as much an epicenter of Andy Reid's system as anybody else on the field.

10. Cincinnati Bengals: Rueben Bain Jr., EDGE, Miami

Over the last few years, the Bengals have thrown all kinds of draft capital at their edge-rush issues, with less than what they might have wanted to show for it — all while low-balling star pass-rusher Trey Hendrickson, who is highly doubtful to come back as an impending free agent. So, it's time for this franchise to get itself a lead-pipe sure thing (or as close to it as you can ever get) in the person of Rueben Bain Jr. Bain may not blow you away with his measurables, and his arm length will be one of the primary focuses of the scouting combine, but it's hard to argue with production, and Bain's 12 sacks and 83 total pressures in the 2025 season show up as legit force multiplier plays all over his tape. This is one even the Bengals can't get wrong.

11. Miami Dolphins: Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee

The Dolphins are in a major transition after firing head coach Mike McDaniel, and releasing everybody they possibly could in an effort to be cap-compliant in the new league year. Given that you could almost field a full team with the dead cap Miami is taking on in 2026 , they're going to have to nail the draft, and cornerback is an obvious need. Outside of veteran Rasul Douglas, nobody at that position stood out in 2025, and though Tennessee's Jermod McCoy missed the entire 2025 season with a torn ACL, he's a top-10 prospect if fully healthy. If McCoy's medicals come back strong in Indianapolis, this would be a no-brainer for the new Dolphins regime.

12. Dallas Cowboys: Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State

Speaking of defenses in transition, there's the Cowboys after the required firing of former defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, and the subsequent hire of former Philadelphia Eagles passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach Christian Parker to replace him. One would expect that this will lead to the Cowboys running more of the Vic Fangio system, which requires at least one do-it-all linebacker who can take care of everything from coverage to run fits to intelligent blitzing. Styles, who reminds me of Fred Warner at times, would fit the bill perfectly. (Yes, the Cowboys also need at least one edge-rusher, but it's a very deep class there).

13. Los Angeles Rams (from Atlanta Falcons): Spencer Fano, OT, Utah

Rams right tackle Rob Havenstein's recent retirement means that there's a need for new blood right away — especially since Matthew Stafford is running it back for at least one more season after his remarkable Most Valuable Player campaign. Especially since Sean McVay's crew has two first-round picks in the 2026 draft, I can't think of a better plug-and-play solution than Utah's Spencer Fano, who has played both right and left tackle, and is about as clean on tape as any offensive lineman you'll see in any class. Fano may not blow you away with measurables or feats of derring-do, but the more you watch him, the more you get sucked into the idea that this is an automatic 10-year NFL starter, and that process could begin the day he's drafted.

14. Baltimore Ravens: Denzel Boston, WR, Washington

There's all kinds of chaos going on in Baltimore, which is unusual for such a habitually stable franchise. With head coach John Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Todd Monken both out the door, it's probably past time for the Ravens to add a potentially dominant receiver, which would be in the best interests of new head coach Jesse Minter, and new offensive coordinator Declan Doyle. Zay Flowers is his own kind of No. 1 receiver, but if the Ravens were to select Washington's Denzel Boston here, they'd also have a large (6-foot-4, 209 pounds unofficially) contested-catch monster who can also scald safeties deep with his straight-line speed. We believe that Lamar Jackson would appreciate this, as well.

15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Cashius Howell, EDGE, Texas A&M

Death, taxes, and Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles expressing dissatisfaction with the level of pass rush he's getting from his players . Some things seem to spring eternal, and as regards the 2025 season, Bowles had a point. Third-year man Yaya Diaby led the team with nine sacks and 62 total pressures; beyond that, quarterback disruption was spackled together more often than not. Cashius Howell, who had 12 sacks and 41 total pressures of his own in just 300 pass-rushing snaps for the Aggies last season, could make a major difference quickly with a toolbox custom-built to drive offensive tackles nuts.

16. New York Jets (from Indianapolis Colts): Peter Woods, DI, Clemson

Aaron Glenn's Jets defense needs a lot, Part 2. Another thing that Aaron Glenn's Jets defense needs is a versatile and effective interior defensive lineman who can get things done from just about every gap — something this team hasn't had since the Quinnen Williams unload. Clemson's Peter Woods would certainly qualify, as the Tigers have asked him to play anywhere and everywhere during his collegiate career, and he has always answered the call. From edge to nose, Woods would be the kind of force multiplier desperately in demand for Gang Green.

17. Detroit Lions: Akheem Mesidor, EDGE, Miami

Aidan Hutchinson may be the NFL's best pass-rusher when healthy, but that "when healthy" caveat took quite a beating in 2024, and even when Hutchinson was back at his best in 2025, the Lions' defensive numbers when Hutchinson was off the field (the pressure rate dropped from 42.2% to 21.1% last season) seems unsustainable.

Not that Akheem Mesidor comes into the NFL at Hutchinson's level, but there's a whole lot to like about a 6-foot-3, 280-pound edge defender who had 13 sacks and 67 total pressures last season, and very nearly took Indiana's offense apart by himself in the College Football Playoff National Championship game. Defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard would certainly enjoy Mesidor as his newest Agent of Chaos.

18. Minnesota Vikings: Caleb Banks, DI, Florida

The Vikings could well take a versatile safety here to replace the great Harrison Smith, and they probably will in future mocks. For now, let's give Brian Flores Florida's Caleb Banks as the tone-setter for an interior defensive line that could use one. Banks missed all but 96 snaps in the 2025 season with a foot injury, but he put up solid tape when he was healthy, and after blowing it up during Senior Bowl week, he should be back in plans for NFL teams in the first round.

19. Carolina Panthers: Keldric Faulk, EDGE, Auburn

The Panthers won the NFC South (such as it was) and actually tested the Los Angeles Rams pretty seriously in the wild-card round despite the lack of a true balls-out edge disruptor outside of 2025 rookie Nic Scourton. It would be a good time to add to the group with Faulk, the 6-foot-6, 285-pound multi-gap assassin who managed two sacks and 30 total pressures in an injury-affected 2025 season after putting up nine sacks and 45 total pressures in 2024. Some will bemoan Faulk's alleged lack of a pass-rush plan, but the power and technique should see him through, especially if he's asked to move around as much as he did at Auburn.

20. Dallas Cowboys (from Green Bay Packers): Avieon Terrell, CB, Tennessee

It's hard to know just how bad the Cowboys' cornerbacks were in 2025, given that Matt Eberflus was "coordinating" the defense, but we do know that Dallas' opponent passer rating allowed of 110.5 was the NFL's second-worst behind only the Jets, which is what happens when you allow 35 touchdowns to five interceptions, and your cornerbacks allow 20 touchdowns to two picks. No bueno.

New defensive coordinator Christian Parker would certainly benefit from some new blood, and Avieon Terrell might be just the guy to start fixing those issues. Yes, there is some up-and-down to Terrell's breakneck play style, but the Cowboys have never had a problem with that from their cornerbacks, and Terrell does have a similar skill set to older brother A.J., one of the NFL's best press cornerbacks with the Atlanta Falcons.

21. Pittsburgh Steelers: Omar Cooper Jr., WR, Indiana

The Steelers' passing game fell off a cliff during DK Metcalf's two-game suspension late in the regular season, and there wasn't much to be done in the wild-card round when the Houston Texans' ridiculous defense shut Metcalf down, making it abundantly clear that outside of Metcalf, there really isn't anyone who can hold things down as a No. 1 (or even No. 2) receiver. And with new head coach Mike McCarthy in charge, we also know that schematic help on that side of the ball isn't coming quickly. Pittsburgh's receivers will need to get open however they can, no matter who's throwing them the ball.

This could be a perfect spot for Omar Cooper Jr., who has proven with the reigning national champions the ability to get and stay open, whether he's in the slot or outside.

22. Los Angeles Chargers: Olaivavega Ioane, OG, Penn State

Fortunately, the Chargers should have offensive tackles Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt back to health in the 2026 season, which wasn't the case for Slater (who suffered a ruptured patella tendon before the season even began) or Alt (who played just six games last season before a high ankle sprain ended his campaign prematurely). Great news for Justin Herbert, who spent far too much time running for his life in 2025. Now, the Chargers should double down on offensive line help with the addition of Penn State's Olaivavega Ioane, a mauling left guard who is also as agile as you'd like.

23. Philadelphia Eagles: Kenyon Sadiq, TE, Oregon

It was certainly interesting to see Nick Sirianni and Kevin Patullo bomb the Eagles' chances for another Lombardi Trophy with some of the worst offensive play-calling we've seen at the NFL level in a while. Now that Sean Mannion is in charge of the offense (as much as Sirianni will let him be), there's the outstanding matter of one Dallas Goedert, who has a void year in his contract, which means that he hits the open market when the new league year begins.

If the Eagles are unable to retain Goedert's services, that leaves a rather large void in the tight end department — a void that Oregon's Kenyon Sadiq could fill with ease. This guy is so good, he can actually overcome the shortcomings of his offensive staffs, which may be important in Philly for the next couple of years.

24. Cleveland Browns (from Jacksonville Jaguars): Kadyn Proctor, OT, Alabama

Last offensive lineman left in Cleveland, turn out the lights. Left guard Joel Bitonio has been talking about retirement for over a year now. Center Ethan Pocic, guards Wyatt Teller and Teven Jenkins, and tackle Jack Conklin are all set to be free agents when the new league year hits, which would seem to be a problem a franchise might have addressed a bit sooner than this.

Regardless, this is where the Browns are, and given that they're still cap-strapped by the worst trade in sports history, no prominent NFL veteran is walking through the door anytime soon. Which leaves things up to the draft, and in this case, Alabama's Kadyn Proctor. Proctor's combine measurables will be fascinating, because at an unofficial 6-foot-7 and 366 pounds, he has a body type straight out of science fiction, and he's grown in both agility and technique during his time with the Crimson Tide.

25. Chicago Bears: T.J. Parker, EDGE, Clemson

It says a great deal about Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen's schematic brilliance that he was able to help his team to an NFC North title, and a near-trip to the NFC Championship game, with one above-average edge-rusher in veteran Montez Sweat. Yes, Austin Booker is a nice rotational guy, but for the Bears to take the proverbial next step, they should aim their first-round pick at another Monster of the Midway.

Clemson's T.J. Parker, who amassed six sacks and 41 total pressures in just 324 pass-rushing snaps last season (watch his performance against South Carolina if you want to see one man destroy an entire offense), would be an ideal combination of technician and destroyer.

26. Buffalo Bills: KC Concepcion, WR, Texas A&M

The Bills made a big switch in head coaching philosophy in the move from Sean McDermott to former offensive coordinator Joe Brady, so now that Brady has earned the top spot, it would be a good time for general manager Brandon Beane to give his new head coach a No. 1 receiver. Trying to fit Keon Coleman into that round hole hasn't yet worked; maybe it will in 2026, but nobody can be sure.

Texas A&M's KC Concepcion would be a great fit in Brady's offense, because he has the one thing every great receiver needs — the understanding of how to get and stay open. Something that sounds comically simple, but really isn't. And when you see how Concepcion is able to create after the catch, it's easy to imagine Josh Allen with several cake-eating grins in the 2026 season and beyond.

27. San Francisco 49ers: Chris Bell, WR, Louisville

It was bad enough that the 49ers had to deal with a fairly epic slate of injuries in the 2025 season; the soap opera between the team and receiver Brandon Aiyuk, who refused to play the entire season after signing a four-year, $120 million contract with $45 million guaranteed in 2024 was certainly a different level of, "Yeah, we didn't need this, thanks."

The 49ers will unquestionably move on from Aiyuk, which leaves them with a group of receivers that are good to very good. What they need is a big, fast target for Brock Purdy who can eat up press coverage and dominate in the paint. Were it not for the torn ACL he suffered last November, Bell would be a lot higher on draft boards, because he can do all of those things. We believe that the 49ers would be well-served to take Bell's potential here, and wait for the right kinds of explosions to happen.

28. Houston Texans: Francis Mauigoa, OT, Miami

WARNING: I'm going to be all over the place with Francis Mauigoa during the pre-draft process, because I have no idea what to make of him. There are times when Mauigoa's technique matches up with his killer instinct, and you'd be hard pressed to name a better tackle in the 2026 draft class. When you see him mocked in the top five, that's where that comes from.

However, there are other times when Mauigoa's need to kick ass has him out of place and out of phase, which you just hope that NFL coaching can remedy. Regardless, the Houston Texans are enough in need of offensive line help to make this a more than worthy project.

29. Los Angeles Rams: Colton Hood, CB, Tennessee

For a team that plays as much dime as the Rams do, they certainly let it all hang out with their cornerbacks from a talent perspective. It wasn't a terrible group per se, but for every big play they prevented, it seemed that there were two or three allowed. Which, in the end, may have cost them a shot at Sean McVay's second Super Bowl win.

In service of shoring this up, the Rams recently added former Tennessee secondary coach Michael Hunter Jr. to their staff, which will have everybody inserting either Avieon Terrell or Colton Hood into their Rams mock drafts. As much as we like to think outside the box at Athlon Sports, we are no different in this case. Hood is a big (6-foot-0, 195), aggressive cornerback with the playing personality of a safety, and a lot on the ball when it comes to coverage.

30. Denver Broncos: Jacob Rodriguez, LB, Texas Tech

Vance Joseph's Broncos defense was one of the NFL's best last season, but there is possible movement afoot, with linebackers Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad on the way to test the free-agent market. If both players find new homes, the Broncos couldn't do much better than Jacob Rodriguez, who was an absolute force for the Red Raiders over the last two seasons. Rodriguez is the very model of the modern linebacker because there isn't anything he can't do at a very high level, and when you sneak in his specific proclivity for turnover creation, it's easy to see what he'd bring to a defense that is already one of the terrors of the NFL.

31. New England Patriots: Caleb Lomu, OT, Utah

Okay, so. The New England Patriots have said all the right things about not moving 2025 rookie left tackle Will Campbell inside to guard, despite the fact that there are some pretty good reasons to at least think about it. So, here's a thought exercise: If the defending AFC champs have the opportunity to select a tackle of Caleb Lomu's talent with the 31st overall pick, does that change Mike Vrabel's and Josh McDaniels' minds?

In this case, let's say that it does. Lomu becomes the lockdown guy on the edge, Campbell becomes the next Joe Thuney, and all is well on Drake Maye's blind side. We're not saying that this is going to happen, or even that it should happen... but you have to at least think about it, right?

32. Seattle Seahawks: Lee Hunter, DI, Texas Tech

Imagine that it's Week 1 of the 2026 season, and you're up against the Seattle Seahawks and their nightmare rotation of interior defensive linemen. Once Leonard Williams, Byron Murphy II, Jarran Reed, and Rylie Mills have taken turns taking you to the woodshed, here comes 6-foot-4, 330-pound Lee Hunter from Texas Tech, who has crazy quickness for a man his side to displace with gap movement, and the brute strength to take good college guards and simply move them several feet out of the way.

Does that sound like one way to return to the Super Bowl for the Seahawks? Perhaps. It's certainly one way to create a lot of disaffected quarterbacks.